Improved folding chaie



tetes hstent @frn STILLMAN E. .Mason AND EMERSON DoWNE, or BANGOR; MAINE.

Letters Patent No. 67,780, dated August 18, 1867. I

IMPROVED FOLDING CHAIR.

TO ALL WHQM I'l MAY CON CERN:

Be it known that we, S. E *Mnsoivand 4EMERsoN Dowraof Bangor, in thc'county of Penobscot, and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful or improved Folding Chair;A and we do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making apart of this specication, in whiehl Figure l is a perspective view of the chair expanded.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the chair folded.

Figure 3 is a detached vertical section, showing the' connection of the back and legs to the back part of the seat, and f i Figure 4 is also a detached vertical section showing the adjustable connection of the legs to the front part of the seat when the chair is expanded. l

Similar letters of reference indicate` corresponding parts in the several igures.

`The nature of our invention consist-s in a cha-ir constructed with a seat of any desired'form, to which the pillars of the back are hinged, and provided with self-acting catches to secure the pillars when expanded, the chair resting upon four legs pivoted together at their centres, one pair being hinged to the rear part lof the seat, and the other pair being provided with catches by which to secure them to the front part of the seat in such manner as to hold the chair expanded when required for use; the` whole folding into a compass equal to the solid contents of the several parts. l

.In `'the drawings, represents the seat, B Bare the pillars of the back, which are connected together by the bars au. These pillars are hinged to the seat by the hinges b b, while the springs c c, which, at their upper end are secured to the pillars, and are formed with a small round eye at their lower end, by catching into thc recesses d in the back end of the seat, holdthe pillars in position when they are raised. And owing to the construction of the springs the pillars may be folded down by slight pressure, the springs releasing themselves `from the recesses. C C and C C are the legs uponl which the chair rests; the legs C' C are hinged to the back p`art of the seat at le, while the legs C C connect with the seat only when the chair is expanded, as is shown at j, fig. 4. The catchf, which is rigidly attached to the leg, being inserted in one o f the slotsj in the plate g, is held by the spring 7L, which is inserted in the recess z'. This catch may be`released by slight pressure in. the right direction, but is so constructed that. pressure upon the seat has no tendency to release it. By forming two slots jin the' plate g different angles may be given to the seat to suit the wishes ofthe user, or to compensate for the inequalities of surface when used for` out-door purposes. The rods e and epunite and strengthen the legs C C, and the rod e serves as the pivot upon which'the two pairs of legs move when the chair is folded. By dispensing with the hack, which includes pillars B B and bars a a, then the seat and legs constitute a strong and compact camp-stool, while the addition of theback renders the chair suitable for all purposes of a seat.

This invention possesses the merit of lightness, strength, durability, compactness, simplicity, ease of adjustment, and cheapness; besides, its principle allows a wide range of style, from the plainest camp-'stool to a rich; parlor chair.V l l What we clai'm as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The folding chair as constructed with seat A, the hingedand pivoted legs C C and C C', and the hinged back B B, all arranged to operate relatively to each other substantially in manner as described and shown.

STILLMAN E. MASON, EMERSON DOWNE. Witnesses:

H. L. MITCHELL, Crans Amas. 

